Public health vs rights based approaches
Re-sexualising the epidemic
HIV prevention programmes: researchers need to ask difficult questions
Authors:
J. Berger
Publisher:
Southern African Regional Poverty Network , 2004
This article, from Development Update, argues that there is a need to pay more attention to sex and desire in the design of HIV prevention programmes. The paper highlights how perceived "dirty" issues, such as sex between men and anal intercourse between men and women, are often overlooked by HIV prevention programmes. It also explores how reasons why people may "choose" not to place themselves in safety by engaging in sexual conduct with a high risk of HIV infection are often not explored by researchers. By ignoring these factors, HIV prevention work can have only a limited impact on behaviour change.
The author calls for effective programmes that enable behaviour change. This means dealing openly and honestly with the lives that people actually lead and the sex they actually have. Instead of programmes that tell people what to do, which many are unwilling or unable to follow, the author calls for prevention interventions that focus on reducing risk. The author outlines the need to hold governments to account and demand that they develop reasonable prevention plans based on high quality, appropriate research. The need to ensure that researchers do not avoid asking difficult questions is also emphasised. [adapted from author]
